IBNS-CMEDIA: Algeria has severed diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and banned Emirati civilian and military aircraft from its airspace, citing “provocative and hostile acts”, media reports said.
The airspace ban, announced by Algeria’s Defence Ministry, came into effect on September 11. However, commercial flights to Algiers will remain exempt until the end of 2026, Euronews reported.
Algeria announced the decision to sever diplomatic relations with the UAE on September 10, following years of tensions between the two countries.
In a statement announcing the rupture, Algiers accused the UAE of engaging in “provocative and hostile acts”. However, the precise trigger behind the sudden deterioration in relations remained unclear, Euronews reported.
Algeria has also given the UAE ambassador 48 hours to leave the country, according to the report.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded by reaffirming its commitment to maintaining relations with countries around the world and said it remained committed to developing and strengthening ties in the interests of both nations.
“In light of the decision by the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria to sever relations with the United Arab Emirates, the UAE reaffirms the importance it attaches to its relations with all countries and its commitment to developing and strengthening them to serve shared interests and promote understanding, cooperation and prosperity,” the ministry said in a statement.
The UAE expressed hope that Algeria’s decision would be “temporary”.
The ministry also said it valued the “brotherly Algerian people” and the ties between the two populations, particularly through the Algerian community living in the UAE and Algerian visitors.
“The UAE remains committed to preserving and strengthening these ties and shared interests,” it said.
Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, also reacted to Algeria’s decision in a post on X.
“Diplomatic relations are managed through reason, communication, and clarity of interests, not through puzzles and signals that require decoding, nor can they be held hostage to internal congestion or an inability to explain interests and define priorities,” Gargash wrote.
He added that “ambiguity is not a policy” and that successful diplomacy requires clarity of positions, sound management of interests and differences.
Relations between Algeria and the UAE have deteriorated over the years amid differences over several regional and international issues.
Algeria has opposed the normalisation of diplomatic relations with Israel, while the UAE established ties with Israel under the US-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020.
Morocco, Algeria’s neighbour and regional rival, also established diplomatic relations with Israel under the accords, according to the BBC.
The latest diplomatic rupture marks a major escalation in tensions between Algiers and Abu Dhabi.
